Vengeance of Arthur

Once and Future Hearts #9

by Tracy Cooper-Posey

The omens gather, while Camelot fractures…

Saraid is an orphan, thanks to the Saxons, but has found a place as lady companion to Adrivete, the daughter of King Drust of Deira. She wants nothing more than to stay where she is and live a quiet, uneventful life.

Her peace is shattered when Owain, the son of the dead King of Rheged, rides into Deira and demands they hand over Lamorak, the murderer of his aunt, Morguase of Lothian…before sliding from his horse in exhaustion. Then a message is received from Arthur, the High King of Britain, ordering Adrivete to travel to Camelot with Owain. Adrivete insists Saraid travel with her.

Saraid is out of her element, uncomfortable, hungry and tired, and dismayed by the forced intimacies of the road. When Owain unexpectedly helps her cope with the rigors of travel, Saraid learns he is not at all the gruff, infamous son of Rheged that rumour paints him to be.

Neither of them wants to go to Camelot. Together, they might survive the politics, conspiracies and the storm that gathers over the city of miracles…

This novel is part of the ancient historical romance series, Once and Future Hearts, set in Britain during the time of King Arthur.

1.0 Born of No Man
2.0 Dragon Kin
3.0 Pendragon Rises
4.0 War Duke of Britain
5.0 High King of Britain
6.0 Battle of Mount Badon
7.0 Abduction of Guenivere
8.0 Downfall of Cornwall
8.1 Touched by Maen Llia
9.0 Vengeance of Arthur
10.0 Grace of Lancelot
11.0 The Grail and Glory
12.0 Camlann

Readers have described Tracy Cooper-Posey as “a superb story teller” and her ancient historical romances as “written art”.
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Praise for The Once and Future Hearts series

Imagine how good is the author in her craft that she is capable of surprising us her readers even though the Arthurian cycle is one of the most rewritten ones in western literature.

What a great storyteller! I never thought that anyone could tell an Arthurian tale as well as Mary Stewart, but Tracy Cooper Posey has succeeded. I am just in awe of her ability to meld historical detail with legends and turn out a mesmerizing story.

It takes me back to the magic I felt when reading Mary Stewart's stories of Merlin. Tracy Cooper-Posey has written another winner!

As a long time, self proclaimed Arthurian Legend junkie I couldn't wait to dive into Tracy Cooper Posey's new series. Tracy once again proves to be a master story teller as she weaves the delicate threads of this beloved legend into her own.

I also love the fact that her female characters are definitely not boring, whiny or TSTL.

Tracy Cooper Posey is brilliant at weaving stories with individuals that are completely believable in their thoughts and dialogue.

Ms Tracy has an amazing way of telling a tale. It’s magical :-)

Her characters come to life with vibrancy, you can hear the noises of swords clashing and, the swell of various conversations in the great hall

This book is fast paced and I had trouble putting it down!

Tracy again gets the reader into the times of King Arthur. It feels like you are there.

Definitely recommend it to anyone who loves the King Arthur legend, a wonderfully intricate story or just a great romance!

If I could give Downfall of Cornwall TEN stars, I would do so.

I hope this series never ends.

Genres: Romance, Historical

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2022

About the author

Tracy Cooper-Posey is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author. She writes romantic suspense, paranormal, urban fantasy, futuristic and science fiction romances. She has published over 100 novels since 1999, been nominated for five CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award.

She turned to indie publishing in 2011. Her indie titles have been nominated four times for Book Of The Year and Byzantine Heartbreak was a 2012 winner. Faring Soul won a SFR Galaxy Award in 2016 for “Most Intriguing Philosophical/Social Science Questions in Galaxybuilding” She has been a national magazine editor and for a decade she taught romance writing at MacEwan University.

She is addicted to Irish Breakfast tea and chocolate, sometimes taken together. In her spare time she enjoys history, Sherlock Holmes, science fiction and ignoring her treadmill. An Australian Canadian, she lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, a former professional wrestler, where she moved in 1996 after meeting him on-line.

Reviews

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE VENGEANCE OF ARTHUR
Tragedy abounds as King Arthur struggles to maintain his rule of law amidst intrigue, rebellion, and the weaknesses of his people.
True to the tale of King Arthur. Fabulous writing!
I reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4,5 ⭐️

Vengeance of Arthur is the ninth book in the Once and Future Hearts series. It was a very easy and delightful read.

Plot

This book starts with the death of Morgause, when her sons discovered her in bed with Lamorak, the son of Pellinore who killed her husband. She was murdered by Garehis. Owain, Morgause nephew, saw the murder and decided to take Lamorak to Camelot to be judged. While he tried to catch him, Lamorak and Owain ended up in a kingdom. There, Owain meets Saraid.

When Arthur heard of this, he sent an escort to bring Owain and Lamorak to be judge by his laws.

The plot was actually interesting. I think this book was easy to read and it was a very fast-paced book in my opinion. After the ending of this book, I'm really curious to read the next book.

Characters

Owain

Owain was a very interesting man. He was the son of Morgan, one of the Arthur's sister. I like how he grew in the book, from a man who didn't believe in Arthur and his ideals, to start to believe them and better world when he went to Camelot. He also started to believe more in himself. He was a man that had a self-loathing because of his family.

Saraid

Saraid was one of my favorite protagonists. She was really smart and caring. I love how she could see the world and people.

Arthur

Arthur started to change more in this book. He became more temperamental, but he has an actual reason for that. I like how he tries to rule Britain and I also love how flawed he is as a person.

Guenivere

I really love her. I love how great she is in her role as queen. How much she cares for the kingdom. She is really sweet her and tries all she can help Arthur in his reign.

Lancelot

Lancelot was also so sweet in this book. I loved how he was always helping Saraid during her trip. How patient he was with her and with Adrivete. He is still so loyal to Arthur and after what happened between these two in the book, I want to see what will happen between these two in the future.

Cai

Cai is Arthur's foster brother. He appeared in the other books, but had a very minor role. Here he appeared more and was more developed and I absolutely loved him. He was always helping Arthur, was loyal and was always trying to help him with the kingdom and with the castle. I was really sad by the end and wasn't expecting that.

Adrivete

Adrivete was a good character. I liked her personality and how independent she was.

Writing

The writing of this book is really good. It's easy to read and helps a lot with the pacing.

World-Building

I really liked to see how the author developed the relationship between the kingdoms in Britain, especially the relationship between the northern kingdoms with Camelot, because of family problems.

Romance

The romance in this book was also really good. There was two main couples: Owain and Saraid and Cai and Adrivete.

Owain and Adrivete were really good together. I loved how Owain helped her during her journey, especially when she was in pain because of the time she spent on a horse. In turn, I loved how she was always trying to make him see how worthy he was, as well as a good man.

Adrivete and Cai were lovers in the past, but never married because Adrivete's father didn't approve the match. I was happy to see them reunited and I really wanted Cai and Adrivete to be happy together, they deserved that, so of course I was really sad by the ending.

Final Thoughts

In sum, the book was really good and left me really excited to see what will happen next.

[Sonia N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a page turner, with so many characters. Flowing storyline, non-stop suspense. I did not know Just how incredibly multi-talented Tracey Cooper-Posey is! I have read her regency and victorian romances, and they are addictive.
In this story line the main two characters are Saraid an orphan, who is lucky to have a position to the lady Adrivete, who is the daughter to the king of Drust of Dreia.
Meanwhile King Drust's houshold is disturbed when an exhausted rider named Owain, seeks a nights stay at his castle. The next day another horseman Lamarak is looking for Owain to arrest him!
The king writes to King Arthur for advise with Owain and Lamarak. They are ordered to King Arthur's. Along the way there is so much going on, for me I was wondering what happened in the beginning of the story. But as you read along, everything falls into place. Overall, the characters are interesting, well developed story, and with a great ending.
This is my first book by Tracey Cooper-Posey in this series.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy by author through Book funnel for an honest review.

[Alda Delicado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vengeance of Arthur is the 9th book in the Once and Future Hearts and with it, the series grows darker and darker. His friends surround Arthur, but his enemies' evil machinations are getting nearer.
The story begins with the Lothian family and their troubles. Queen Morgause is found in bed with Lamorak, a lord from the south, by one of her sons who kills her in a fit of rage. The three brothers decide to run after Lamorak that had escaped back to the south. Their cousin Owain is appalled by their deeds and decides to follow and help Lamorak.
They meet at the court of King Drust of Deira. His daughter Adrivete and her companion Saraid are pulled into the confusion created and all are summoned to Camelot where Arthur will exert his justice and decide on the matter.
But nothing is ever simple especially when dark forces guide the actions of their most unwilling pawns. The fragile peace between north and south is yet again in peril and maybe this time there will be no
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Ingrid Savell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling & breathtaking tale.
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest instalment of Arthur's trials and tribulations told alongside the romance of some very real characters I grew to love.

Each novel in the series is even better than the last (I've loved them all!) with the wonderful characters central to this story completely captivating me and holding me spellbound.

I was held on the edge of my seat as the machinations of characters and tense situations worked towards a climax that delivered a proper *gasp* moment! I was so immersed I hadn't even realised I'd gasped til my husband asked if I was ok (WoW!).

I love how the story is told as a slice-of-life close-up of everyday people from Arthur's court and from other parts of Britain in those times. The characters are real and easy to relate to because Ms Cooper-Posey creates such rich detail without a lot of wordage.

I highly recommend this series be read in order and am delighted that after nine books I'm still captivated and surprised by new plot twists.

[Chandera · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read by Tracy Cooper-Posey in her new book "Vengeance of Arthur," the ninth book in the Once and Future Hearts series. In the beginning there is a lot of information on whose who but once into the book I could not put it down until I was done with the book. In the beginning the book starts at a wedding but when Owain hears screaming the festivities kind of come to an end, atleast for him. So he went to investigate and see what is going on. When he arrives he sees Morguase was murdered by her son. He found her in a compromising position with a younger man who was married. From there I was hooked. I wanted to know what will happen when Owain gets Lamorak, the man Morguase was with, and the traveling. I highly recommend this book but honestly read each book to better understand the characters. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I was given an advanced reader copy this book for my honest review.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read anything in this series and I wondered if in fact it wasn't as good as I remembered.
It was. While some of the recent books have been a lot more battle focused, this one has all the elements of the earlier books in the series where you get the time and space to all the beautiful writing to create an experience for you. It was like I could feel the dust from their journey, tickling my nose.

Saraid and Owain aren't an 'opposites attract' couple. They both look deeper at humanity than most everyone else. I like that they're thinkers, that they rethink their pre-conceptions.

Don't get me wrong though. This is not a sweet romance series. There's some heartbreak sprinkled in amongst the 'Aaww' moments. But if you want excellent writing, interesting characters and a different take on a story that's been around for centuries, then this is for you.

[Dina Bushrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'd swear every word read is true, that's the power of research and love of writing. This book in the series has a powerful punch. Yes it has Arthur, Genevieve, Lancelot but the story is filled with other characters that you just know must be real. They have to be because they move you emotionally. We have characters that feel they have no worth, but are proven wrong, we have 

salacious murder, wronged innocents, evil, malicious men, love which was lost for a decade but never forgotten found again, new loves discovered, and the barely seen edges of a love full of betrayal. Throw in traitorous murderous man that a King won't harm and like I said you have one powerful punch of a story. No real spoilers, just some glimpses of what you'll miss if you don't get this gem of a book.

[Irene Rojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a good action plot, with several interesting twists, and fantastic characters. An agile narrative, with very good descriptions of the characters and scenes. The two main characters have a complex and tragic past that made engaging reading.
The elements that make up the story are well narrated, with good development. We can see each of the characters develop their stories and get to know them.
This story unfolds when Arthur has established his reign, after years of clashes over the unification of the kingdom, Arthur is faced with trying to impose the law throughout the kingdom. But it is not easy, each small kingdom wants to maintain its traditions, which are at odds with the law in many cases.
“I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.”

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love story during the time of King Arthur's court. King Drust of Deira has a daughter, Adrivete and she has a companion named Saraid. They play an integral part of this story. One is a worldly woman and the other has never been anywhere. As Adrivete is called to Arthur's court, her companion accompanies her. Not all is what it seems with all the intrigue of the court and the goings on behind the scenes, this story moves along at a good pace with interesting twists at every corner.
I highly recommend this book along with all of Tracy's books as wonderful reads.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried that I would feel lost in “Arthur´s world”, since I read the previous book quite “Downfall of Cornwall” a while ago. But I shouldn´t have, like usually with Ms. Cooper-Posey´s books, the story gripped me from the start. And the glossary with all the kingdoms and persons-and the maps as well- were helpful. The story contains heartache and death, but those where violent times. Unfortunately I can´t give extra stars for the cover, it is so beautiful! I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed the books in the Once and Future Hearts series, and this book is no exception. Loved it! Vengeance of Arthur is filled with politics, government, heartbreak, family honor, redemption, and love. Saraid is my favorite character in this story: she was a delight to get to know. Mordred is as always true to his scheming nature, which puts him into my least liked category. It is also amazing to realize that this series has reignited my interest in King Arthur.

[Audrey Cienki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracy Cooper-Posey’s Vengeance of Arthur Book 9 is the latest addition in the Once and Future Hearts series.
What is going on in Camelot? Who can you trust?
This is the story of Saraid and Owain, and their friends, companions, enemies, etc.
This is a great story filled politics and intrigue. If you enjoy Arthurian tales, this story is for you.




[Merrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest entry of the series. The complex characters and intricately crafted plot grabbed my attention immediately and didn't let go until I read the final word. I was enthralled!

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this wonderful book and can definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a well-crafted story.

[Cleocutie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great addition to the series. The story continues to be full of emotion and super detailed and the love stories are great. I love how they twine with the classic Arthurian tales and make them even richer.